After moving to Tokyo, it took a while for my first foreign trip to happen but when it did the destination was South Korea which is no real surprise given its close proximity to Japan. That initial trip to the capital city for a few days in extremely cold conditions was mentioned briefly in the inaugural Tokyo Fox post but it then took nearly a decade for my next trip. That was when my wife and I spent a couple of nights with my number one American friend Ethan who was living in Seoul at that time with his family.

This three day trip was never really going to be a big dive into Korean culture but there was still a smattering of local sights, sounds and smells. Pretty soon after arriving at Ethan’s place we headed out on a short walk up the road to the vast museum known as War Memorial of Korea which possesses over 13,000 pieces of war memorabilia and military equipment relating to the military history of Korea.

It was most interesting to find out about how the Korean War unfolded, the involvement of Russia and China, and the attacks as well as the Korean involvement in the Vietnam War. The outdoor exhibition area was, for me, the most spectacular part with over 150 aircrafts, tanks, planes, bombers and armoured vehicles to freely explore.

Perhaps one of the most lasting images was the statue depicting the real life story of two brothers who fought in the Korean War on opposite sides and were accidentally reunited on the battlefield. It’s a symbolic reminder of the Koreans wish for national peace, reconciliation and reunification.

The city of Seoul seemed very proud to have had the movie ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron‘ (2015) set there. I think it had just been released and so this Marvel film was being heavily promoted everywhere including a special interactive exhibition at this museum featuring film props, interactive components, Hulk’s laboratory, Iron Man’s research institute, Thor’s Space Tower, Marvel Merchandise and so on.

Our first taste of Korean food came after that museum by way of a yaki-niku (grilled meat) in the university area of Hongdae.

The choice of meats, vegetables and so on was varied enough in my opinion and we were all very happy with it though I get the feeling some locals may look down on such a place for its cheap and cheerful style!

More local food followed the next day when we went to the popular Tosokchan Samgyetang restaurant located inside a traditional house.

I ate black chicken samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) which was quite a unique thing to sample, and though it may not look too appetising the taste was fine but it didn’t blow my socks off or anything!

Not too far away from that restaurant was Gyeonbokgung Palace; a work of great architecture. With the mountains in the background and the soldiers in Joseon-era uniforms standing guard, it is deservedly a popular tourist attraction.

We then strolled down to Gwanghwamun square and the Dongdaemun Market, over the Cheonggyecheon stream and onto Seoul City Hall before returning to our accommodation.

Each morning, Ethan and I went out for about an hour cycle ride along the Han River which included going across (and under) Banpo Bridge.

The futuristic looking man-made islands around Banpo Hangang Park supposedly brighten the vista of the river at night. The facility on the largest of the three artificial islands is known as Saebit Dungdungseom and it was only a few years old back then. It could be seen in the aforementioned ‘Avengers‘ movie. 

About the only concrete plan Ethan and I made ahead of our visit was to hike along part of the Seoul City Wall trail which is nearly 20km long and circles the whole city.

Our plan was to just hike a small section of it starting just west of Gyeongbokgung Palace which would take us on up to the 338 metre high Mount Inwangsan. However, when we got to the start of the proper trail we were surprised to discover that it was closed which was annoying but probably a blessing in disguise as it was very hot that day!

Many things are closed in Korea on Mondays but we never thought this would include a mountain hiking trail! There were still some alternative trails though and we ended up in Inwangsan Park which hosts (as do many area’s throughout Seoul) many great exercise machines that we tried out.

With a couple of trips to the U.S. military base, this long weekend break felt like we were in America at times! We had a Tex-Mex buffet dinner there on the second night and then returned the following day for lunch at Taco Bell (not available to us in Japan at that time!) followed by a visit to one of the shops on the huge base to get some American goods.

There was a quick stop in Cheongna International City on the way to the airport in Incheon to meet ex-colleage David for a catch-up over dinner at a nearby restaurant.

We ate jajangmyeon (noodles topped with a salty black soybean paste), tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork with vegetables) and jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) so we did actually have some Korean food each day.

This mini-break was never intended to be a full-on Korean cultural experience but was just about hanging out with Ethan and his family. I’m probably due another trip to Seoul and though it might be more cultural it’s unlikely to be as fun as this one ten years ago.

Click here to read ‘A Surreal Border Crossing In Korea (2006)’

Click here to read ‘The Trip To Seoul In 2006 Which Really Kickstarted Many Years Of Asian Travel’

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: Seoul Olympic Stadium (2006)’

Click here to read ‘South Korea 2015 Pt I: The War Memorial Of Korea’